Nights Like This One Shot
by Samwysesr
Summary: Rose enjoys a night in with the people she loves most. Pure, unadulterated Romitri and Chrissa fluffy sweetness I felt compelled to write to make up for the lack of it in The Fiery Heart. (Rated M for language because come on... it's Rose.)


_**A/N: **__I, and I'm sure many other people didn't get nearly enough Romitri and Chrissa fun and sweetness in The Fiery Heart, so I had to rectify that immediately. Here's a little bit of Romitri and Chrissa fluff for everyone who was left craving it after reading the newest Bloodlines installment. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews/feedback are always appreciated and encourage me to write more and to update. Just sayin._

* * *

What do you think of when you hear the word Queen? Most people probably picture the ruler of the Moroi world in fancy gowns and tiaras, nodding her head regally as she waves to her subjects, dripping in jewels and wearing a haughty expression on her face.

That is _so_ not my best friend. Liss may be a queen, but the title hasn't changed her at all—not to those of us that know her up close and personal, anyway. I mean, sure she does the formal thing—it's kinda like a job requirement—but for the most part it's a mask she wears, sort of like the one I wear when I'm on duty guarding her. Even when she's in the spotlight, looking beautiful and majestic, wearing a fancy tailored suit as she sits through endless meetings or attends Royal banquets, she's still the same sweet girl she always was deep down, overly concerned that everyone is comfortable and not ill at ease in her presence. She still loves every single animal she comes in contact with—even the annoying yippy ones—and she'll go out of her way to help someone if they're in need. And she still has an almost fanatical love… for Disney movies. She watches them over and over, reciting the lines along with the characters and singing the songs with a happy smile on her beautiful face. Unfortunately, that last endearing little quirk of hers has a wicked little side effect to it—she makes us _all_ watch them _with_ her.

Which is how I ended up snuggled beside her under a fleecy blanket on the oversized couch in her living room, trying not to giggle as she batted her eyelashes and cooed at Christian, sweet-talking him in her 'Princess Aurora' voice—which I guess was appropriate, since we were watching Sleeping Beauty for what seemed like the 756th time.

Watching her, it was impossible not to smile. For the first time in ages, she seemed completely relaxed, without any hint of the darkness or the strain of her element showing on her face. It was as if somehow, just by throwing on an old pair of flannel pajamas and braiding her long, silky hair in pigtails, a switch had been flipped and she had cast aside all the stress and worry that she'd been burdened with throughout the day. I was so relieved to see her enjoying herself that I didn't even mind her making goo-goo eyes at her boyfriend—something that normally would have me dry heaving and making snarly remarks.

"Come on Chris—you know you like them. Just admit it," she teased, pouting playfully in his direction.

Rolling his eyes, he shot her a dark look. "I don't get why you want to watch this _again_. We just sat through it last week."

"Because I love it." She stretched out her leg, nudging him with her foot. "You know you'd come riding to my rescue just like Phillip does if I needed it. It's romantic… a beautiful, sweet movie."

"Yeah, so sweet I need to brush my damn teeth," he shot back, standing up and stretching. "I'm going to make popcorn." His eyes widened as Lissa reached for the remoteand he shook his head vehemently. "No! Don't pause it! Let it run. I remember this part—like I said, I just saw it five days ago." Ignoring her pout, he hurried from the room so fast you'd have thought a Strigoi was hot on his heels.

"Some people just don't appreciate romance," she called after him before resting her head on my shoulder and huffing. "Men are so predictable sometimes."

Her remark made me glance over at the chair that held my boyfriend, and I stifled another giggle. Like the couch Liss and I reclined on, it was so overstuffed that it's inhabitant practically sunk down in the cushions, and it was oversized, big enough that two people could comfortably share it. Normally, I'd have been cuddled up in it right beside him, but tonight Lissa had pulled me down to her side as soon as I'd entered the room—which, truth be told, was probably why Christian was in such a pissy mood. He hated the rare occasions he was 'banished'—his word, not mine— to the chair that matched the one Dimitri was in.

For all intents and purposes, Dimitri looked completely intent on the story unfolding on the T.V., but like Liss had said, men were predictable. I was willing to bet that the sole reason he was slumped down with his feet propped up on the ottoman in front of him looking so relaxed was because he had a book openand his longlegs were hiding it from my best friends view. Even as the thought flicked across my mind, his gaze dropped from the television to his lap, and a moment later I saw his hand surreptitiously turn the page of his hidden western. A giggle escaped me, causing him to look over in my direction, his dark eyes meeting mine as his beautiful full lips turned up in that special smile he reserved just for me, then he made a silent 'shushing' gesture, his face completely innocent of deception as he returned his gaze to the movie.

"Stop ogling your Russian and watch the movie."

Lissa's whispered words so close to my ear startled me, making me jump. "Jesus Liss, ogling? What are you, eighty? And I _wasn't_ ogling him."

"Yes you were. You were staring at him the exact same way you used to back at the Academy." Wiggling her fingers, she poked me in the ribs. "I may not have realized what it meant then, but I do now."

Ducking my head to hide the hot blush I felt flooding my cheeks behind my long hair, I whispered back furiously. "Lissa! I did _not_ stare."

"Did."

"Did _not!_"

"_Did._"

_"NOT!"_

"What are you two whispering about over there back and forth like naughty school girls?"

The husky sound of Dimitri's voice interrupted our hushed, playful argument, drawing my eyes back to him like a magnet.

"The fact that Rose _was_ a naughty school girl," Lissa quipped, sweetly, "who had a bad habit of staring at her mentor in church while thinking extremely unholy thoughts."

Dimitri's low chuckle washed over me like a physical caress, and before I could stop myself I tensed, a small sound of longing escaping me. In an instant I was aching to be beside him, and even though only a few feet separated us, the distance felt like a million miles. Clenching my jaw, I fought against the overwhelming desire to go to him, closing my eyes as I waited for the urge to subside.

"You don't have to sit with me you know." Lissa's voice was soft, as if she could sense my internal struggle. "I understand, Rose. I feel the same way about Christian."

Feeling guilty at my uncontrollable thoughts about abandoning her, I laced my fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and shaking my head. "Nope. I can cuddle with Dimitri later. You and I don't get enough time together Liss, and no matter what you might think, right now there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here beside you." I kissed her cheek, then groaned as I remembered something extremely important. "I take that back. There's somewhere I need to be right now, but I promise I'll be back in a sec." Untangling myself and throwing off the blanket I stood up and stretched, smiling as Dimitri's eyes instantly locked on the tanned skin of my stomach that was revealed as my shirt rode up from the movement.

"Where are you going? You'll miss the best part!" Again she reached for the remote, but I placed my hand over hers, stopping her.

"I'll be back before the kiss. I just wanna make sure Sparky's not doing any fro-fro gourmet shit to the popcorn like he did the last time. Who in the hell puts cinnamon sugar on popcorn for Christ's sake?" Ignoring Lissa's giggle, I padded down the hallway toward the kitchen. I took my popcorn seriously, and there was no way I was going to let Christian test out his culinary skills on it again. From behind me I heard Lissa's sweet voice, her words making me chuckle softly to myself.

"At least you're enjoying the movie and not abandoning me Dimitri."

From his response, you'd never know that he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to what we were watching. "It is a very interesting story, although I'd like to know why no one considered simply warning the princess to stay away from spinning wheels. It seems to me they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they'd only spoken up instead of hiding the curse."

Rounding the corner, I pushed open the swinging door that lead into the kitchen—and immediately got the surprise of my life. If I had been wearing shoes Christian's sensitive ears might have heard me coming, saving himself some embarrassment. Thank God I wasn't, because I would have missed out on seeing a sight that I swear I'll remember until the day I die.

Snarky, sarcastic, Disney hating Christian Ozera was waltzing around the kitchen, imitating the dance that the prince and princess danced in the forest and quietly singing 'Once Upon a Dream'.

Biting down hard on my lip to keep myself from laughing, I watched him swoop and sway, thankful that his back was to me. He had a surprisingly good voice, low and rich, and for a moment I wished that more people could see him like this, not because it would humiliate the hell out of him—although normally that would be a definite bonus in my book—but instead so they could see that deep down, beneath his hard, caustic exterior, there was a really sweet, romantic guy hiding away from the world. Unable to stop myself, I quietly crossed the kitchen, skirting the large center island, and reached out, grabbing his hand, spinning him around and joining his little impromptu dance as I added my own off key voice to his song.

His blue eyes widened comically, shocked at my sudden appearance, his pale cheeks coloring with the faintest blush, but I ignored his dismayed, embarrassed expression, twirling him around the kitchen and giggling as I sang. He didn't immediately pull away, probably thinking if he played along I'd be less likely to tease him—which was completely true. Easy friendly moments like this between us were rare, and I'd learned to appreciate and take advantage of them when they popped up.

Dancing around the kitchen in our sock feet, it was like I got a glimpse of the Christian Ozera he might have been if his parents hadn't made the choice to turn Strigoi. For those few, brief moments I saw him the way Liss did when she looked at him with complete devotion, as a brave, handsome prince who would slay dragons to keep her safe—and it made me wish I could turn back time, erasing all the bad things that had happened in his life. I wanted to do whatever I could to help him put aside the cold, sarcastic shield he hid behind, so he could feel free to let this side of himself show.

Of course, as soon as the last lyric was sung, his protective walls snapped upand he dropped my hand, turning his back to me, as if ashamed I'd witnessed the softer side to his personality. Hopping up on the counter and crossing my legs Indian style, I leaned back, waiting for the barbed remark I knew he would hurl my way.

"I suppose you're thinking you can use this to blackmail me." He moved over to the stove, checking the pot of oil he'd been heating. Satisfied with what he saw, he added the kernels, not bothering to look my way.

"You know… you're a fire user. Couldn't you just… I don't know… heat the popcorn using your element? It'd be a hell of a lot faster, and I'm starving." The surprised look he shot me over his shoulder made me smile, wondering if he was shocked I'd been insightful enough to think of applying his magic in such a practical way.

"I like cooking the old fashioned way." Shrugging his shoulders, he gave the pot a shake to evenly distribute the corn. "This way may take longer, but when I do it—make something with my own hands… I feel…" he frowned, his brow crinkling as he searched for the right words.

"Accomplished? Proud?" I offered.

"Exactly. Any fire user could do it the other way."

I chewed at the corner of my bottom lip, watching him as he hovered over the stove. "Did you really think I was gonna use you singing Disney songs against you?"

"Why wouldn't you? It's good ammunition—Lissa would love to know I only pretend to hate her movies."

"Yeah well she'd also love to know that Dimitri is in there reading instead of losing himself in her world of friendly forest creatures, but you don't see me outing him about it, do you?"

He snorted, glancing over at me and grinning. "He is not."

"Yep. There's a book hidden in his lap. Did you really think he was _that _into the movie? Come on Christian, you're supposed to be smart."

Leaning back against the stove, he crossed his arms over his chest and studied me, his blue eyes intent. "You're really not going to say anything?"

"Nope. It will be our little secret. But I won't lie… if you happen to make me your special meatloaf it would probably help me remember not to let anything slip out the next time we're arguing."

Rolling his eyes, he walked over, holding out his hand. "Deal. But if you welsh… I'll find out one of your deep dark secrets and make you regret it Rosie."

I grabbed his outstretched hand, squeezing it with a little more force than I needed to as I shook it—to pay him back for calling me "Rosie'. "I always keep my promises Sparky. Especially when your meatloaf is involved."

He shook his hand dramatically as he pulled it away, shooting me a pointed look. "We'll see about that. Now how about you get off your ass and actually help me instead of just watching?"

"Sure thing. If I turn the heat up will it pop faster?" I jumped off the counter, heading for the stove, laughing at the panicked expression that appeared on his face. My skill in the kitchen was abysmal—something he knew first hand since he'd tried to give me cooking lessons on more than one occasion.

"NO! I'll do the popcorn! You can set out the bowls and pour drinks. Even you should be able to handle that without destroying my kitchen."

Sticking my tongue out at him, I did as he asked, smiling as we fell back into our normal habit of bickering back and forth. In the end I won out, protecting the popcorn from his culinary creativity—although I did catch him dusting it with cracked pepper behind my back.

When we finally returned to the living room we were laden down with snacks—he'd even whipped up his version of Chex mix too, much to my delight. As soon as everything had been dispersed, he pushed past me, hurrying over to claim the place I'd occupied earlier at Lissa's side. Her beautiful face practically glowed as he leaned over, kissing the tip of her nose and murmuring something too soft for me to hear. Normally it would have irked me that I had been replaced, but when Dimitri closed his book and pulled me down into his lap, I discovered I didn't mind Christian infringing on my time with Lissa one little bit. I guess every girl has her own perfect version of Prince Charming, and being snuggled up in the arms of _my _ Russian prince is without a doubt my absolute, all-time favorite place to be. Nights like this, surrounded by the people I love…they're the ones I know I'll always treasure and hold close to my heart.

Just like in Lissa's Disney movies, sometimes, no matter how impossible they might seem, dreams _do_ come true. If you don't believe it, just look and me and Lissa. We finally got our happily ever after, and believe me, it's better than anything I ever could have imagined.


End file.
